Home>Living>Housing>Housing benefits

Housing benefits and rent guarantor schemes

Overview

CAF housing benefits
In Paris: student financial aid (A.I.L.E)
Rent guarantor schemes

CAF housing benefits

Depending on your personal situation and the type of housing you find, you may be entitled to a housing benefit from the Caisse d’Allocations familiales (CAF). You can apply for a benefit whether you live in an unfurnished or furnished flat, homestay, or student hall of residence.

To be eligible:

The accommodation must correspond to decent housing standards (Act of 13/12/2000) and have a minimum floor area of 9 m2;
The tenancy agreement or joint tenancy agreement must be in your name, or that of your legal guardian if you are a minor, and must be for over three months;
Students from outside the European Economic Area must hold a student long-stay visa (known as the VLS-TS) and are required to have validated their visa.

For an estimate of your benefit entitlement please visit the CAF website (fr.).

You should apply online for a CAF housing benefit as soon as you have a signed tenancy agreement. You will need the following information and documents:

An email address you check regularly
Your passport or national identity card
Birth certificate with official translation into French
Enrollment certificate
European health insurance card
Valid residence permit (students from outside the EU)
The lease or tenancy agreement
Your income amounts for the last two years
Your bank details (BIC/IBAN format)
The contact details of your lessor (landlord, agency, etc.), the rent amount and their 14-digit Siret number if your lessor is a company.

You should expect it to take about a month for your application to be processed.

For more information, , go to the Caf website and read the Caf guide that applies to your situation:

Please note: If you are under 25 and your parents have been receiving benefits for you (family benefits or housing benefits), you will no longer be taken into account when those benefits are calculated.

Section #aile

In Paris: student financial aid (A.I.L.E)

This lump-sum benefit of €900 is financed by the Paris City Council and managed by the CROUS. It is exclusively for students receiving the Crous needs-based financial aid and enrolled in a higher education institution in the Paris region. It can only be paid out once in a given academic year.

You are not entitled to this benefit if you live in a Crous residence.

More information about A.I.L.E

Section #rent-guarantor-schemes

Rent guarantor schemes

The Loca-Pass advance is a loan offered to tenants to finance the security deposit required by the lessor. The loan is interest-free and no handling fees are charged.

To benefit, you must have:

a current fixed-term contract (CDD) of at least three months’ duration when you apply for the loan;
one or more fixed-term contracts for a cumulative period of at least three months over the six months preceding the loan request;
or a current internship agreement of at least three months’ duration when you apply;
or French government scholarship status.

The advance is for a maximum of 1,200 euros.

More information on Loca-Pass advance (fr.)

Mobili Jeune awards financial aid used to reduce the amount of rent. The programme helps young people under 30 years of age who are enrolled as students on an Masters programme involving an apprenticeship taking place in a private, non-agricultural company.

To benefit, you must:

be under 30 years old;
be enrolled as a student on a study programme comprising an apprenticeship contract ;
be employed in the private sector ;
hold a housing contract during your apprenticeship;
not have an outstanding application with MOBILI-JEUNE at Action Logement ;
receive a gross monthly salary equal to or less than 100% of the SMIC ;
submit your application 3 months before the start date of your apprenticeship.

For more information on Aide Mobili Jeune (fr.)

Visale is a scheme set up by Action Logement, a leading stakeholder in social housing in France with the core mission of facilitating access to housing.

Through the Visale scheme, Action Logement undertakes to act as a guarantor free of charge for those who meet their eligibility criteria.
To be eligible, you must:

be under 31 years old (persons under the age of 18 years are not eligible);
provide proof of enrolment at a post-secondary institution for the current academic year;
hold a valid French or European passport ;
hold a valid non-European passport and long-stay student visa. The visa marked "dispense temporaire de carte de séjour" (temporary dispensation from requiring a residence permit) does not allow students to apply for VISALE.

Students are eligible without justification of resources within in fixed rent limit of 800 € in the Île de France Region and 600 € in the rest of France. This amount can be increased if you can justify monthly resources greater than 1600 € (Île de France) or 1200 € (Outside Île de France).

More informations: